Tim Lott: my heroes and heroines

The Under the Same Stars writer on the people who inspire him

His opinions were repulsive and shocking but he told it like he saw it. I love that honesty and the fact that he wasn’t part of any movement – he was a complete outsider. He showed me that you can write in a different way to literary fiction and still be an artist.

Joni Mitchell

I’ve never been disloyal to Joni, she’s always been with me – the soundtrack to my whole life. She never compromised, her songs are works of art, and I also fancied her like mad.

I come across a lot of clever people in this modern world but I don’t come across that many wise people. Dorothy, who is a psychologist and author, is wise. She changed my views on depression and her contribution to human understanding has been tremendous.

Eric Treuille

He runs a café in Notting Hill called Books for Cooks, which serves cheap food, cooked to the highest standard. I can’t believe he makes any money out of it; he does it out of love. I go for lunch there every day and my life would be a lot poorer if he wasn’t around.

Alan Watts

He’s a philosopher who was responsible for bringing Eastern thought to the West but he’s very down to earth, very funny and doesn’t believe in any crazy ideas. If anybody’s got the answer, he has and he’s definitely changed the way I think about my life.